Inca animal husbandry refers to how in the pre-Hispanic andes, camelids played a truly important role in the economy. In particular, the llama and alpaca—the only camelids domesticated by Andean people—[1] which were raised in large-scale houses and used for different purposes within the production system of the Incas. Likewise, two other species of undomesticated camelids were used: the vicuña and the guanaco. The guanacos were hunted by means of chacos (collective hunts).
The Inca people used tools such as: stones, knives or tumis, axes that, according to chroniclers, were made of stone and bronze, and ropes that were made by them in their leisure time. Many of these tools were used to shear the camelids, which were then set free; in this way, they ensured that their numbers were maintained. Guanacos, on the other hand, were hunted for their meat, which was highly prized.
- ^ Marín, Juan (2007). "Sistemática, taxonomía y domesticación de alpacas y llamas: nueva evidencia cromosómica y molecular". Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (in Spanish). 80 (2): 121–140. doi:10.4067/S0716-078X2007000200001.